Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 160 It Was You Two, Cai Yan and Li Ru
The battle ended quickly, and Cao Yan and Xun Yu walked towards the front of the refugee group to check on their situation.

Everywhere you look, there is devastation.

They were dressed in rags, emaciated, with sallow and ashen faces. Many of them had wounds of varying depths, and their bodies trembled involuntarily.

Upon seeing Cao Cao's army arrive, everyone knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly and crying out for their life-saving grace.

Cao Yan quickly stepped forward, helped up an elderly man with white hair, and asked gently, "Old man, where did you come from? Why were you being chased by the Xiongnu?"

With tears streaming down his face, the old man slowly said, "Reporting to the general, we fled from Hongnong."

In order to gather military provisions, Li Jue plundered and massacred people in our dwellings. We could hardly survive and had no choice but to flee to the east bank of the river.

They thought they could find a way to survive in Hedong, but unexpectedly, famine was raging there as well. Tree bark and grass roots were all eaten up, so they had no choice but to continue eastward along the Yellow River.

But before long, the Xiongnu suddenly appeared like demons.

I narrowly escaped death half a month ago, but I never expected to encounter these demons again here.

"If the general hadn't arrived in time, we would all be dead here today!"

Cao Yan gently comforted you, "The Xiongnu have been driven back by our army. Keep heading east until you enter Yanzhou territory, where someone will take good care of you."

"Yanzhou? May I ask who the general is...?" At this moment, a man with his head covered behind the old man suddenly spoke up and asked.

This man was none other than Li Ru, who had disguised himself and blended into the ranks of the refugees.

"I am Cao Yan, also known as Cao Zi'an, the Prefect of Chenliu and General Yangwei!" Cao Yan introduced himself.

"Cao Yan!!" Upon hearing this, Li Ru's pupils contracted sharply, and he thought to himself, "Why are they here? Could it be to seize the emperor?"

Seeing that the man's head was covered, Xun Yu couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why won't you show your true face?"

Li Ru replied calmly, "I have many knife scars on my face, which may frighten you all."

Cao Yan noticed that the man's speech was extraordinary, unlike that of an ordinary person, and subconsciously used his [Insight] technique.

He was shocked when he saw it: "Holy crap!!! It's Li Ru, Dong Zhuo's strategist!"

Name: Li Ru (courtesy name Wenyou)

Sex: Male
Hobbies: Political intrigue, reading

Favorability: 22%
Entry: Poisonous Scheme (Gold), Chaotic Situation and Destruction (Purple), Covert Alliances (Blue), Scholarly Spirit (White), Melancholy and Weakness (Gray)

【Poisonous Strategy (Gold)】:
Passive: Judge all schemes applied to oneself. If a scheme is judged as a "poisonous scheme", its effect is increased by 20% and its success rate is increased by 40%.

Active: Poisons a single designated target, increasing the success rate by 80% and the effect by 50%.

After reading Li Ru's entry, Cao Yan couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "You really are toxic!"

He couldn't help but become wary, wondering to himself, "Li Ru is still alive and is even mixed in with the refugees. What is his intention?"

Li Ru kept his head down and did not notice the change in Cao Yan's expression.

Seeing that Cao Yan remained silent, as if there were no problems, he prepared to turn and leave.

Unexpectedly, Cao Yan suddenly asked, "Brother, your speech is extraordinary; you must be no ordinary person. Would you be willing to stay in my army and serve me?"

"?" Li Ru was stunned.

You think you can just keep someone who speaks eloquently around to serve you? Are you that casual about hiring people?

Coming to his senses, he quickly declined, saying, "I am of limited knowledge and my appearance is rather ferocious..."

To serve you?
What a joke!
If you warlords of Guandong knew who I was, wouldn't you skin me alive?!
Li Ru now only wants to safely escort Cai Yan to Cao Cao's hands, and then find a peaceful place to spend the rest of his life. He dares not offer any more advice or strategies to others.

However, this guy named Cao Yan in front of me seems to have taken the wrong medicine. He even started hitting me when I refused!

Cao Yan reached out and grabbed Li Ru's wrist.

Li Ru immediately felt as if he were being clamped in iron pincers, unable to move. Cao Yan didn't mind the sour smell on Li Ru, and leaned close to his ear, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "If even you, Li Ru, are considered to be lacking in talent and learning, then wouldn't all the warlords of Guandong be fools?"

"!!!!" Li Ru was instantly terrified, his hair standing on end. He covered his mouth in shock, wondering how the other party had seen through his identity.

Cao Yan then added, "Don't worry, I won't expose your identity, but you must stay by my side to prevent you from causing trouble in secret."

Upon hearing this, Li Ru gave a wry smile and said, "General, you misunderstand. I only wish to fulfill one last wish and then find a quiet place to spend the rest of my life in peace..."

"What is your wish?" Cao Yan asked.

Li Ru did not speak directly, but said, "Please come with me, General."

"Zi'an..." Xun Yu heard this and wanted to dissuade Cao Yan.

But Cao Yan said to him, "Wenruo, go and tell Zilong and Qingyuan to escort the people for a while and meet at Hangu Pass in three days."

After saying that, Cao Yan called Dian Wei over and followed Li Ru into the depths of the refugee procession.

Seeing that Dian Wei was with Cao Yan, Xun Yu was no longer worried that anyone could hurt Cao Yan, so he turned and left.

Cao Yan and Dian Wei followed Li Ru to the center of the refugee group and found Cai Yan.

When Cai Yan saw Li Ru return, she quickly asked, "Li You, whose army is that ahead?"

Li Ru respectfully replied, "Young master, it is Cao Mengde's army!"

After he finished speaking, Li Ru stepped aside, and Cai Yan then noticed that there were two other people following behind him.

When Cai Yan first met Cao Yan, she felt that he looked familiar and seemed to have met him before, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

Cao Yan also carefully examined Cai Yan, feeling that the woman in front of him looked quite familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.

As the two men sized each other up and looked at each other, Li Ru coughed twice and introduced, "Young master, this is Cao Mengde's younger brother, Cao Zian! The army ahead is theirs!"

"Mengde?!" Cai Yan was taken aback at first, then her face lit up with joy, and she asked, "Why are they here?"

"They must have been on their way to welcome the Emperor and happened to save us," Li Ru speculated.

"That's wonderful!" Cai Yan thought she was doomed, but unexpectedly she was rescued by Cao Cao's army.

Then, she opened her big, round eyes and looked at Cao Yan curiously, saying, "Cao Zi'an, it's you (that snotty-nosed little guy who follows Cao Cao around all day)!"

Li Ru then introduced Cao Yan: "General Cao, this is Cai Yan, also known as Cai Zhaoji, the daughter of Cai Yong, the former Left General of the Household!"

“Cai Zhaoji (Cao Cao’s dream girl)?!” Cao Yan hadn’t used his Insight on her immediately, so he quickly added it now.

Name: Cai Yan (Zhao Ji)
Gender: Female
Hobbies: Music, reading

Favorability: 38%
Entry: Exceptional Talent (Purple), Photographic Memory (Purple), Harp Melody (Blue), Intelligent (Blue), Unfortunate Fate (Gray)

"It really is her!" Cao Yan thought to himself.

The *Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Biographies of Exemplary Women* records: Cai Yan, courtesy name Wenji, was learned, eloquent, and skilled in music. She married Wei Zhongdao of Hedong, but after her husband's death and without children, she returned to her family home. During the Xingping era, when the world was in chaos, Zhaoji was captured by the Hu cavalry and taken to the Left Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, she was saved here!

Cai Yan bowed to Cao Yan and said, "Zi'an, do you still remember me?"

Of course I remember!

Old Cao has been secretly drooling over you for a long time!

But Cao Yan remained expressionless, cupping his hands in return and saying, "Of course I remember. You even slapped my palm back then."

Cai Yan and Li Ru: "..."

Dian Wei: "?"

(End of this chapter)